King Bowser Koopa (大魔王クッパ, Daimaō Kuppa “Great Demon King Koopa”, in English also Lord Bowser, King Koopa commonly in other media) is the primary antagonist of the Mario series and is the archenemy of Mario. Bowser most commonly kidnaps Princess Peach. He is the leader of the Koopa race. Although Bowser has joined forces with Mario in a few games, he has never ceased to kidnap Princess Peach and attempt to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom since his first appearance in Super Mario Bros..

As the central villain of one of the world’s most popular video game franchises, Bowser is easily one of the most recognizable video game villains ever, though he has comic-relief roles in most of the RPGs. Though their origins are unknown, Bowser has eight children; the seven Koopalings and Bowser Jr.

Contents

Characteristics

Bowser differs greatly from the rest of the Koopas, who appear mainly as bipedal tortoises. His iconic features include a large, spiked shell, horns, razor-sharp teeth, and a shock of red hair. In addition, while most Koopas appear to be herbivorous and prefer fruits and vegetables as their diet, Bowser, due to his sharp teeth, prefers meat, particularly from victims he hunts down and captures (with his carnivorous side confirmed in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story), though he has, on occasion, consumed vegetation, as well. He is physically powerful, can breathe fire, and is said to have skills in black magic, as he teleports off the Bowser's Star Reactor battle place when beaten.

Powers

Bowser has many powers from dark magic that include teleporting, causing shockwaves to come out of his jumps, fire breath, charging, and transforming victims.

Family

Bowser is shown to have eight children. Seven of them, the Koopalings, debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3. Later on, Super Mario Sunshine featured an eighth child: Bowser Jr.. Recently, for the first time in the series, both Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings appeared and teamed up together in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Sometimes there are no Koopalings, so Bowser sends out False Bowsers. It is unsure who the Koopalings' mother is.

Appearances

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In Super Mario Bros., his first appearance, Bowser appears at the end of each of the eight worlds (Level X-4). These areas are "dungeon stages" and are characterized by white brick platforms, ample lava and spinning sticks of fire that can burn Mario/Luigi. Bowser waits at the end, on a bridge over a pool of lava. By grabbing the axe at the right end of the bridge, Mario/Luigi can cut the rope at the end, making the bridge collapse and sending Bowser into the pit of lava below. Alternatively, Bowser can also be defeated by repeatedly shooting him with fireballs. Due to graphic limitations, the in-game Bowser does not seem to have hair, although the official artwork for the game, as well as the remake in Super Mario All-Stars, depicted him with hair. Bowser throws hammers in Super Mario Bros., similar to the Hammer Bros., but this ability has largely been dropped; exceptions being throwing hammers with magic in Super Princess Peach, and he also threw hammers at the beginning of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, and uses them as his primary attack in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga when he is teaming up with Popple, while Dry Bowser (his skeletal form) in New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. Wii throws bones in a similar manner.

Though Bowser appears in the Japanese sequel to Super Mario Bros. (a title known outside Japan as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels), he appears and behaves identically to his original incarnation. Only in Super Mario Bros. 3 did Bowser return with a new plot and a new look. For the first time in the games, players saw Bowser with a mane of red hair, a look that has remained with Bowser ever since. This time, Bowser only appears at the end of the final level: his castle at the end of World 8, where Mario and Luigi have to trick him into crashing through his floor in order to defeat him (although he could also be defeated with several fireballs or hammers.) This game also introduces Bowser's first seven children, the Koopalings. Despite the presence of offspring, no mate of Bowser has appeared in any story, and his only known relationship is his marriage to a reluctant Princess Peach in Super Paper Mario.

Super Mario World

Bowser's next appearance in a standard 2-D platform adventure was Super Mario World. There, he once again appears as the final boss in the Valley of Bowser. Bowser's children, the Koopalings, again make an appearance. Here, Nintendo introduces something that would continue to be associated with Bowser through the rest of his video game appearances to date: Bowser riding the Koopa Clown Car. Fireballs now proved to be useless, and the player had to defeat him by stunning his Mechakoopas and tossing them back at Bowser.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

For the first time ever, in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Bowser becomes a full-fledged ally to Mario. After being thrown out of his castle (called a keep in this game) by the Smithy Gang (the antagonists of the game), he reluctantly joins Mario on his quest to recover the star pieces and repair the mystical Star Road, thus defeating Smithy and returning Bowser's castle to Bowser. Following traditional RPG class archetypes, Bowser fills the role of the power tank, with his only diminishing flaws being lowest turn speed and magic power.

To ensure that Mario did not disrupt his plans again, Bowser sealed off the doors in the castle with the stars and even created doors that would only open with his keys. Unfortunately for Bowser, he did not lock one door, leading to his undoing as Mario was able to collect stars from the painting beyond that door, and then open other doors and systematically sweep through the castle towards Bowser.

In these games, Bowser was battled three times: once in the Dark World, once in the Fire Sea and once in the Sky. Every single time, Mario defeats Bowser by grabbing his tail and throwing him into one of several bombs surrounding the battle arena. In the DS version, during the Fire Sea battle, Bowser also warps from one section of the platform to another, and pounds the platform to make it go off balance. In the third and final battle, Mario had to throw Bowser into a bomb three times before he was defeated. Bowser even managed to double Mario's load by breaking apart the vast platform they were on into the shape of a star, making tossing him a difficult venture. He also attacked Mario by chasing him. Bowser was able to escape, but Mario
saved Princess Peach and restored peace to the castle with the power of the stars.

Mario fights Bowser in the Dark World.

In Super Mario 64, Bowser was solely defeated by the efforts of Mario. However, the remake Super Mario 64 DS differed in that the player was required to be both Yoshi and Mario to prove victorious. Luigi and Wario were available to be unlocked in Big Boo's Haunt and Chief Chilly Challenge respectively. But, keeping true to his rivalry with the red-clad plumber, Bowser would not accept any challengers but Mario himself for the final battle (although a glitch allowed him to be fought by anyone).

Luigi's Mansion

In Luigi's Mansion, Madame Clairvoya tells Luigi that Bowser has been "soundly defeated" by Mario, and speculates that King Boo might have revived him, suggesting that Bowser was presumed destroyed following his latest clash with Mario. His demise is an unconfirmed event however (a red herring on Madame Clairvoya's part, no less), as the Bowser-like entity of Luigi's Mansion is never identified, and is merely piloted as a huge robotic mech by King Boo, who is the final boss and ultimate villain of the game. Interestingly enough, at the end of the game, the Bowser-like spirit is also trapped in the painting with King Boo.

Super Mario Sunshine

In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser's eighth child, Bowser Jr., was introduced. Bowser told his son that Peach was his mother and that Mario kidnapped her. Bowser Jr. took on the disguise of Shadow Mario and vandalized Isle Delfino with Graffiti, framing Mario as a graffiti criminal. Mario, determined to prove his innocence, cleaned the mess with the aid of F.L.U.D.D. Bowser Jr. kidnapped Peach during this time and was pursued by Mario. Bowser Jr. revealed his true identity, but Mecha Bowser allowed Bowser Jr. to get away to Corona Mountain.

Mario reached Bowser and his son at the end of the volcano in a floating, sun-shaped, slime-filled bathtub just above the peak of Corona Mountain. Bowser tried to kill Mario by breathing enormous gusts of flame and splashing slime at him, while Bowser Jr. assaulted him with Bullet Bills. Mario used F.L.U.D.D's Rocket Nozzle to produce a few massive Ground Pounds that tipped the bowl over, sending the Koopas to fall into a miniature island adjacent to Isle Delfino. Bowser confessed to his son that he had used him as a pawn, but Bowser Jr. then revealed to his father that he knew all along that Peach was not his mother, and that he was eager to challenge Mario again some time in the future, when he would be bigger, which filled Bowser with pride. They then decided to continue their vacation together.

Super Princess Peach

In Super Princess Peach, Bowser, after hearing about a mysterious and powerful artifact hidden on Vibe Island, decides to search for said artifact, and he consequently also builds his summer villa there. Eventually, Bowser finds the artifact, the Vibe Scepter, which is capable of controlling and manipulating the emotions of others. Bowser proceeded to entrust a Goomba with the Vibe Scepter and then orders this Goomba to lead a brigade of Hammer Bros. to attack Princess Peach's Castle. Bowser's raiding party succeeds in capturing Mario, Luigi and several Toads. Unfortunately for Bowser, his Goomba minion proved incapable of handling the Vibe Scepter's power and ended-up casting a spell over Vibe Island, unleashing chaos throughout. After all of the Toads and Luigi are rescued, Princess Peach and her umbrella ally, Perry, can face Bowser who, with the Vibe Scepter, can increase his power; regardless, Bowser is still defeated and Mario is freed by the princess. The princess wants to marry mario.

New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser is the first boss. He is fought the same way as in the original Super Mario Bros. (except the axe is replaced with a generic switch which performs the same function), but this time, the lava he falls in disfigures him into a Dry Bones-like skeleton. The reanimated Bowser skeleton, named Dry Bowser or Skeleton Bowser, is later fought in the first World 8 castle, before Bowser Jr. resurrects his father in a potion-filled cauldron just in time for the game's final showdown. In this showdown, Bowser is a bit smarter, and will attempt to lunge at the player when the player gets behind him.

Yoshi's Island DS

Bowser also appeared in the NintendoDS game Yoshi's Island DS as the game's main antagonist. In this game, Bowser travels back in time in search of seven legendary stars that can apparently give him the power to rule the universe. The search for these stars lead Bowser to kidnap babies all across the planet thinking that the stars are located in the hearts of certain babies. Bowser appears as the game's final boss, right after his younger self.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

Bowser appears as the main antagonist of Paper Mario. He stole the Star Rod and captured the seven Star Spirits and gives them each to a certain character to keep watch over it. Bowser then lifts Princess Peach's Castle into the sky and defeats Mario with his enchanced strength. Bowser then knocks Mario off of the castle and orders Kammy Koopa to keep Peach locked up in her room. Throughout the game, Bowser is usually seen in scenes everytime Mario defeats one of his followers. It is even revealed that Bowser keeps a diary that he writes in. Once Mario saves the last Star Spirit, Bowser orders everyone to prepare for an attack as Mario first enters his castle. Once Mario has made it to the very same room Bowser has defeated him in, Bowser challenges Mario to a final duel. Bowser is soon defeated but has a different plan and takes Peach to a platform that resembles his Koopa Clown Car. Kammy Koopa then powers up Bowser where even the Star Beam cannot match the Star Rod. However, the wishes from Peach allow Mario to power up the Star Beam into the Peach Beam and Bowser is defeated by Mario. His power up platform soon explodes and sends him and Kammy Koopa falling out of space. Bowser is seen again during the parade where he is riding in his Koopa Clown Car. However, Jr. Troopa and Kammy Koopa are having a spell fight where they accidently blast the Koopa Clown Car burning Bowser. Bowser then burns the two and the parade cuts to night.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Although he is not the main antagonist, Bowser still plays a major role in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This is Bowser's first time being a playable character in a Paper Mario game. Bowser is always played after one completes a Chapter and completes the Peach scene. During certain points in the game, Bowser will complete in a style similar to Super Mario Bros.. Bowser is also only fought twice in this game: in Glitzville and in the Palace of Shadow. During the fight in the Palace of Shadow, Bowser is fought alongside Kammy Koopa.

Bowser in his castle.

After the events of Chapter 1, Bowser is seen at his castle demanding to know where Kammy Koopa is. When Bowser reaches his throne, Kammy Koopa appears and informs Bowser that Princess Peach has been kidnapped. Bowser is furious that someone is doing his thing but settles down after hearing about the Crystal Stars. Bowser is determined to get the Crystal Stars and Peach after hearing Mario is after them as well and takes off in his Koopa Clown Car.

After the events of Chapter 2, Bowser and Kammy Koopa arrive in Petalburg. The citizens run away at Bowser's presence and Bowser begins his search. Bowser believes he has found Peach but it is revealed to be just a poster. Kammy Koopa tries to confront Bowser but Bowser is depressed calling himself "The Guy Who Talks To Posters." During the events of Chapter 3, Bowser invades the Glitz Pit and challenges Mario. However, he is quickly defeated.

After the events of Chapter 3, Bowser and Kammy Koopa arrive at The Great Tree. Bowser tries to look for a Crystal Star but is having no success at the scared Punis. However, Bowser is caught off guard by the Puni Elder who tells him that Mario already has it. Kammy Koopa and the Puni Elder get into an arguement and the player has a choice for what Bowser can say. Afterwards, Bowser decides to leave to continue his search.

After the events of Chapter 4, Bowser is at Rogueport and heard that there is a Crystal Star at Glitzville. Kammy Koopa suggests taking the blimp but Bowser says he has gotten into Glitzville before and takes off in his Koopa Clown Car. However, his ride breaks down in midair and Bowser is forced to go through an underwater level to get back onto shore. Bowser manages to make it back and ends up at the port of Rougeport. Kammy Koopa arrives and, judging her appearance, has had a great time at Glitzville. As Kammy Koopa continues saying how much fun she had, Bowser angrily burns her saying he swallowed a blooper while he was underwater.

After the events of Chapter 5, Bowser and Kammy Koopa end up in Twilight Town. They notice Lord Crump walking around and Bowser wonders what he is looking for. Lord Crump eventually finds what he is looking for: the Super Bombomb that Vivian dropped earlier. Bowser askes what Lord Crump has found and Crump, not wanting to feel intimated by Bowser's appearance, orders up a horde of X-Nauts. Bowser and Kammy Koopa do the same by ordering up the Koopa Troop. Lord Crump is determined to take them down and throws the Super Bombomb at Bowser. However, it doesn't blow up and Bowser comments saying he'll show Crump some "real fire power". Bowser breathes fire at the Super Bombomb but it activates it and results in a massive explosion taking down both sides.

After the events of Chapter 6, Bowser is still worn out after what happened at Twilight Town. However, his spirits are lifted after Kammy Koopa informs him that their troops found an underground passageway that may lead to a Crystal Star. Bowser must endure an underground level where he will end up in some sort of training room. Kammy Koopa then spots the Crystal Star on the wall on a belt and Bowser is about to take it. However, Rawk Hawk, the champion, enters and demands Bowser to get out. However, Bowser isn't intimated by Rawk Hawk even mocking him on his size. Furious, Rawk Hawk attempts to attack Bowser, but Bowser easily crushes him. The force from the slam causes the belt to fall off and the star to break much to the shock of Bowser and Kammy Koopa. Kammy Koopa confirms that Crystal Star was a fake and Rawk Hawk says that "The Great Gonzales" has it. Bowser is furious that another guy other than Mario is after the Crystal Stars as well.

After the events of Chapter 7, Bowser and Kammy Koopa arrive at the luxrious Poshley Heights. Bowser comes across the Poshley Sanctum and manages to get the lock to come off it by simply yelling at it. Bowsre then enters the Sanctum and he and Kammy Koopa finally believe they claimed a Crystal Star. However, Pennington soon arrives but is intimated by Bowser's appearance. Soon, Bowser drops the Crystal Star and, that too, is a fake. Pennigton then says that "Luigi" already has it and Bowser is even more upset that Mario's younger brother is after the Crystal Stars as well.

During the events of Chapter 8, Bowser and Kammy Koopa enter the Palace of Shadow and work their way around. Eventually, Bowser falls through from a higher area and lands on top of the recently defeated Sir Grodus. Bowser comments his weight but soon spots the appearance of Mario and engauges him in battle (with Kammy Koopa assisting). However, Bowser and Kammy Koopa are defeated and lie defeated on the ground. It is unknown what happened to Bowser after the defeat of the Shadow Queen but it can be assumed he went back to his castle.

During the first battle, Bowser fights in a similar matter from the previous Paper Mario game. However, instead of a poison claw attack, he now uses a poison bite attack. He can also use the stomp attack that can take away an action command and breathe fire. During the second fight, Bowser is much more tougher as he has more HP and attack power, Kammy Koopa is assisting him in battle, and the battle is faught right after the Grodus fight. Bowser retains most of his moves from the Glitzville battle, but he now fights alongside Kammy Koopa who can heal and power up Bowser. During this fight, it is recommended to take down Kammy Koopa first especially since her HP is lower.

Super Paper Mario

"Will I marry Peach? Are you kidding?! The answer's YES!!!"

— Bowser

Bowser made an appearance in the Wii game Super Paper Mario. Princess Peach is forced to marry him by the mysterious Count Bleck and Nastasia. However, the union between them reveals the Chaos Heart, which would produce The Void that would threaten all of existence. He reluctantly joins up with Mario and Peach (as well as Luigi, who joins later on) to stop the evil Count Bleck and his minions. Following his high power role in Super Mario RPG, Bowser has exactly twice the attacking strength of his human allies and can decimate almost any enemy with his fire breath. His destructive strength is offset by his slow movement, clumsy jumping, the inability to climb ladders or vines and being a bigger target for enemy attacks.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Bowser finally appears as the main antagonist of Paper Mario: Sticker Star since the original Paper Mario game. Bowser touches the Sticker Comet which causes it to split into six Royal Stickers which he keeps one for himself. Bowser is then only seen again in the very last level Bowser's Sky Castle where he fights Mario in many phases. He eventually turns big but Mario uses Kersti to power up and defeat him. Bowser is seen again trying to touch the Sticker Comet put Kersti stops him. Once Kersti remarks how she needs to change her career, Bowser shares a laugh with Mario and Peach. Unlike all the rest of the Paper Mario games, Bowser has no word of dialogue at all in this game.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games

Bowser makes an appearance in the official game of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is classed as a 'Power' type and has a lot of Power and Stamina. He is very good at the Hammer Throw, but not so good at 100m.

Super Mario Galaxy

"Bowser is the great fire-breathing villain of the Mushroom Kingdom, a dastardly creature bent on capturing Princess Peach and taking control of the kingdom for his own nefarious means. He commands a vast army of Goombas, Koopas, and other nasties that do his bidding without question. Mario always manages to save Princess Peach from Bowser and stop his schemes, but the brute never learns. Perhaps if Mario finally corners Bowser in the heart of the cosmos, he can pound a little sense into the scoundrel."- (Super Mario Galaxy Description of Bowser)

Prior to the events of Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser attacked Rosalina's observatory and stole all the Power Stars and the Seven Grand Stars that powered the observatory. Bowser used these incredible stars to bring his entire fleet to the cosmos and take over many galaxies, planning to construct a galaxy reactor powered by the Grand Stars that would make all the galaxies collapse upon themselves. This would give birth to a new cosmos in which he would use to rule and control the whole universe as a Galactic Empire that would last forever with Peach as Bowser's empress. He then kidnapped Peach during the events of the Star Festival, and held her at the center of the universe where he was overseeing the construction of his reactor. During this time, Bowser Jr. led most of the Koopa Troop to conquer several galaxies.

Mario, helped by Rosalina, collected many Grand and Power Stars and destroyed much of the Koopa Troop, encountering and defeating Bowser twice in his attempt to rescue Peach. Regardless of these drawbacks, Bowser remained confident of his victory and the follow-through of his main goal to construct his own galaxy.

Mario eventually battles Bowser at the almost-completed galaxy reactor. During the final battle, Bowser Jr. held Peach captive while Mario fought Bowser on multiple planets. Despite his efforts, Mario defeated Bowser and sent him into the magma of his own sun. The final Grand Star was released from the galaxy reactor, which exploded and formed a large black hole that began to suck up the cosmos. The Lumas used their powers to reverse the black hole, creating a new Big Bang and reforming the cosmos. Rosalina then appears to Mario in a vision, explaining to him that the nature and fabric of the universe is always unpredictable and always uses different patterns to sustain itself. Bowser tried to control this force for his own nefarious means, and for that he almost paid the ultimate price; he nearly sacrificed his own life. Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Bowser Jr. are then shown back at a restored Toad Town. Relieved to be alive, Bowser left to plan further schemes.

Super Smash Bros.

The powerful Giga Bowser.

Bowser is also a playable character in Super Smash Bros Melee and Super Smash Bros Brawl. In Brawl, he uses his final smash by turning into Giga Bowser. Giga Bowser is a form of Bowser that first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a boss at the end of adventure mode if the character going through this campaign completed it in around 20 or less minutes overall. Giga Bowser reappears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as the final smash of Bowser. Like all final smashes, this final smash is temporary, but can still be deadly, especially on a smaller stage.

In Adventure Mode, Bowser plays as one of the main antagonists along with Ganondorf. Bowser first attacks Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong and manages to turn Donkey Kong into a trophy. Bowser will continue to cause trouble until he is betrayed by Ganondorf.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Bowser appeared, and was again the final boss in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Here, he appeared together with his eight children, the Koopalings and Bowser Jr.. In the last castle of World 8, Bowser was found in the last chamber, sending out fireballs toward Mario, similarly to his appearance in the original Super Mario Bros. When Mario began the battle, Bowser was fought in the same manner as in Super Mario Bros., as well as in the first castle in the original New Super Mario Bros. After Mario pressed the switch that caused the bridge to collapse beneath Bowser, sending him falling into a pit once again, a victory fanfare played and Mario rejoiced, believing to have won. However, upon inspecting Princess Peach up above, it turned out that it was, in fact, Kamek, disguised as Peach. Kamek then cast a spell over the chasm that Bowser had fallen down. As a rumbling noise began, Kamek paused to see if the spell had actually worked. To his surprise, Bowser appeared, now at a gigantic size, knocking Kamek off his broom, and proceeded to chase after Mario. Mario rushed through the area beyond the boss room, luring Bowser into launching fireballs at walls so that they were destroyed and he could proceed. After a long and grueling chase, Mario heard Peach's voice, and saw her in a cage up ahead, over a large switch. Jumping on the switch, Mario opened a humongous chasm, right underneath Bowser, that drained the lava from the room and took the Koopa King with it, defeating him for good. He was later seen being helped by his children, having survived the drop and returned to his normal size, but then crushed by his own Castle.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Bowser, as he appeared in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Giant Bowser invading Toad Town.

Bowser appears again in Super Mario Galaxy 2, once again as the primary antagonist. He invades the Mushroom Kingdom again, along with his son, Bowser Jr., but at a gigantic size, due to the power of the Power Stars that he stole. He kidnaps Princess Peach and flees into space again, claiming that he'll build a galactic empire to suit his new size, and put it in the center of the universe.

Additionally, he attacked and destroyed Lubba's starship prior to the game, causing the Lumas to rebuild it in Mario's image when they team up with him. Using Starship Mario to pursue Bowser, Mario has to collect the Power Stars and save Princess Peach as he has done before. Bowser also orders a Magikoopa to get rid of Yoshi as he does not want Mario teaming up with his dinosaur friend.

Mario battling Giant Bowser.

Mario faces Bowser three times in this game. The fights take place on a spherical planetoid, where Bowser, in his gigantic size, attempts to crush Mario with his fists, and by sending meteors crashing down upon him. When using his fists, Bowser's hand does get stuck in the planetoid briefly, and any meteors on the battlefield will rise and turn yellow. Mario has to ground pound on the meteors, so that they hit Bowser. He'll also use his fire breath to try and fry Mario.

The final battle at Bowser's Galaxy Generator has two phases, with the second phase requiring Mario to send yellow meteors at Bowser before he gets close enough to punch him.

During the ending, Bowser is shown to be tiny, which may likely be a side effect for using the Grand Stars to make himself huge.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Bowser appears as a major character and actually an ally (thought not exactly himself most times) in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. He is first seen trying to capture Peach but Mario soon stops and defeats him. However, Peach suddenly starts speaking in explosive letters that leaves even the Koopa King standing back. It was soon revealed that Peach's voice was stolen. Bowser, not wanting to capture an explosive letter, speaking Peach, unwillingly teams up with Mario and Luigi and flies the duo to the Beanbean Kingdom. However, Fawful soon shows up and destroys his Koopa Cruiser sending Bowser, Mario, Luigi, and the rest of the Koopa Clan down to Stardust Fields. Bowser finds himself stuck in a cannon and the leader of Stardust Fields, Tolstar, demands Beanbean coins for payment. Mario and Luigi done so but Tolstar lied about freeing Bowser and gets into a fight with Mario and Luigi. The Mario Bros. defeat Tolstar and Bowser still wants to be freed from the cannon. Suddenly, one of the Starshade Bros. shows up and lights the cannon with Bowser's last words to Mario and Luigi being for them to retrieve Peach's voice and is blasted from Stardust Fields. Bowser is seen again at the Chateau de Chucklehuck where he is working for a thief named Popple under the name "Rookie". It is soon learned that Bowser has gotten amnesia from being blasted out of the cannon at Stardust Fields and now obeys the Shadow Thief. Bowser is defeated along with Popple and the duo make for Chucklehuck Woods where they go to find the Chuckhuck Reserve. They attempt to get the reserve but they are soon blasted away by Bubbles and his Chuckolator. Bowser is seen again with Popple at the basement of Woohoo Hooniversity attempting to get the Beanstar. Mario and Luigi defeat them in another battle but soon, a Peach Bot lands beside the Beanstar and sings the tainted voice which causes the Beanstar to go on a rampage. Bowser, Popple, and the Mario Bros. all grab onto the Beanstar and crashes through the ceiling. Before they all fall off, Bowser regains his memory but soon falls down to Stardust Field badly damage. Soon, Fawful expels the spirit of Cackletta into Bowser and is soon transformed into Bowletta. Bowser stays this way until Mario and Luigi defeat Cackletta's Soul and Bowser is turned back to normal. Minutes later, Bowser wakes up wondering what happened but his castle is soon blown up and Bowser, literally, crashes at the screen. Bowser can be seen briefly during the end credits where he is dropped off at his crashed castle along with his troops.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Bowser plays a somewhat a minor role in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Bowser soon enters the time hole heading back to the past. Bowser is then seen again, this time, teaming up with his younger self attempting to defeat Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi. However, Bowser and Prince Bowser are soon defeated and Bowser heads back to the present. Near the end of the game, Bowser is fed the mushroom of Princess Shroob and transforms into Shrowser. Bowser attempts to use this new power to defeat Mario's group but fails yet again and unwillingly aids in the defeat of Princess Shroob once and for all.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Bowser now plays as (for the first time in the Mario franchise) the main character in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, with the Mario Bros. in a supporting, but still playable role. Bowser starts his day off with the usual attempt in kidnapping Princess Peach but fails as he is defeated by Mario. Peach and Starlow then use their powers to send Bowser flying away.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Bowser plays as the main antagonist of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team where he teamed up with Antasma for the thrill of power, but later betrays Antasma and reveals that he's just been using Antasma so he can take it all, making Bowser the true main villan..

Mario Party Games

Bowser appeared in all Mario Party games as the villain. In Mario Party 2, Bowser got his own space. If a character lands on his space something bad happens. Sometimes he'll force the players to play one of his dreaded mini-games like Rain of Fire, Treasure Dome!, Fruits of Doom, and more.

Mario Party 8

In Mario Party 8, Bowser attacked the winner of the Star Battle Arena tournament, stealing the Star Rod. He challenges the champion to a duel against one of his minions: either Hammer Bro or Blooper in Bowser's Warped Orbit. Upon defeating the minion, Bowser challenged the champion to his minigame, Superstar Showdown. If the champion won, Bowser would claim defeat and Star Rod was won.

Mario Party DS

Bowser once again meddled with Mario and friends when he invited Mario to his castle for an apology party. When Mario arrived the King of Koopas blasted Mario with the minimizer a shrinking device.

Mario Party 9

In Mario Party 9, Bowser comes up with his latest plan in this Mario Party where he steals all the mini stars to decorate his castle. He does this by using a machine which he has on his secret base known as Bowser Station to suck them all in. However Mario and friends see the mini stars disappering and set off to thwart Bowsers plans again. But Bowser has other ideas and sends Shy Guy and Kamek after them, and if that's not enough he uses some of the mini stars to create not 1 but 2 bosses per board. But when the player reaches the Bowser Station Bowser takes matters into his own hands and is the final boss which the player must defeat to complete Bowser Station.

Mario Party 10

In Mario Party 10, Bowser will be able to be playable in Bowser Party mode.

Personality

Bowser is a villain of pure evil. Cruel and ruthless, Bowser is commonly portrayed as a power-hungry tyrant whose intentions are to rule the Mushroom Kingdom and the entire universe. His crimes range from kidnapping Princess Peach to acts of terrorism, giving him a reputation feared and dreaded by the entire Mushroom World. He also does not doubt himself, and is always confident in his plans and appears to enjoy making fun of his victims.

One of Bowser's common traits is his unsatiable lust for power and conquest. He thinks of everything in terms of power, and is always looking for ways to extend his dominion over the world. Several times, Bowser has shown to possess an arrogant sense of entitlement. Indeed, in Super Mario Galaxy, it shown that political power is not enough for Bowser. Bowser believes that only he is worthy to rule the universe and reshape it in his own image.

Bowser lacks a sense of empathy and shows as little mercy to his followers as to his enemies. He has an extremely low tolerance for failures and disrespect. Super Mario Galaxy depicts Bowser as having genocidal tendencies, as his plan consisted in the destruction of entire galaxies for the creation of his new galactic empire.

The games tend to portray different sides of Bowser. The platform games portray Bowser as a serious, relentless and legitimate villain, who will stop at no end to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. At the same time, the RPGs depict him as a comic villain, reflecting the sympathetic aspects of his villainy as well as his clumsiness and ineptness.

Despite his opposing personality, Bowser has rarely shown emotions other than anger or hatred. However, it should be noted that, despite Bowser's evil nature, he is actually in love with Princess Peach and has tried to win her heart on several occasions. Bowser does not know, however, that his constant attacks on the Mushroom Kingdom has made Peach hate him.

In other words, he has shown that he has a soft side of him; that he cares for his children and sometimes helps Mario and Luigi in several games.

Super Mario Media

In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Bowser would often take on various aliases and costumes and try to scheme a dastardly plot of some sort, most commonly trying to conquer a kingdom or steal an ancient treasure and/or artifact; aiding Bowser in these plots were his Koopa Troop and also a sidekick of sorts, most commonly Mouser. Along with Mouser, many Super Mario Bros. 2 bosses like Fry Guy and Tryclyde appear as well.

In several episodes, Bowser would capture Princess Toadstool and attempt to blackmail her into giving him the Mushroom Kingdom, although some other episodes implied he already had some measure of control over the kingdom.

King Koopa's Alter Egos

In most episodes, King Koopa, as he's called in-show, takes on a various alter-ego throughout the episode. Oddly enough, though, he doesn't do it to mask his identity as when he usually meets Mario in the episode, Mario and his crew already realize it's the evil King. These forms are usually found from names in real life, such as Koopzilla, which refers to the famous Japanese monster, Godzilla, and Al Koopone refers to the evil 1930's gangster, Al Capone. Below are some of these various aliases King Koopa undergoes.

Alley Koop

Alley Koop

Alley Koop is the caveman alter ego of King Koopa. He appears in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Quest for Pizza". He wears brown dinosaur skins and his crown is on his head, as usual. He also holds a very stiff snake like a staff, but when thrown it comes to life. Alley Koop used it to bite Mario. To cure him, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, Toad, and the Cave Mushrooms had to make their own pizza. The character is based on the comic strip Alley Oop.

Blackbeard Koopa

Blackbeard Koopa is the pirate version of King Koopa. He is based on the legendary pirate Sir Edward Teech, who went under the alias: Blackbeard. He wears a blue soldier uniform with cuffed sleeves and a hat with a feather. He is in command of a Troopa Pirate Pack, which is just a few pirate Goombas and Troopas that fire Bob-ombs out of cannons. All he cares about is coins and getting filthy rich, besides sinking the Mario Bros., Toad, and capturing the princess. He is seen carrying a gold sword. In the end, Mario, the Princess, Luigi, and Toad launched him out of a net and sent him plunging into the sea. He appears in the SMBSS episode "Pirates of the Koopa". The episode title being a reference to the hit film franchise Wikipedia:Pirates of the Caribbean

Billy the Koopa

Billy the Koopa is one of the cowboy alter egos of King Koopa. The others are Kid Koopa and Claim Jump Koopa. Billy the Koopa has a brown cowboy hat and a flashlight, plus a wavy mustache. He is named after the 1800s outlaw, Billy the Kid.

Karate Koopa

Karate Koopa

Karate Koopa is the only one of King Bowser Koopa's alter egos that has white skin instead of green. Karate Koopa appears in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! He is a ninja dressed in yellow and red. He has a black ponytail and a black shell. He even has black nails and teeth! He is often assisted by Ninjis, found in Super Mario Bros. 2. He is found wearing sandals and often cheats, of course.

King Goo Goo Ga Ga Koopa

King Goo Goo Ga Ga Koopa

King Goo Goo Ga Ga Koopa is an alter ego of Bowser in "Three Plumbers and a Baby". He's disguised himself as a baby, complete with a bib and a diaper, and a rattle for a weapon. He uses the Fountain of Youth to turn Princess Peach into a baby. He's also got an army of Ostros disguised as rocking horses.

King-of-the Road Koopa

King-of-the-Road Koopa is yet another alter ego of Bowser. He wears a purple jacket and a nose ring, and has a blue mohawk. He's the king of the road in Mushroom Land. He appears in the episode "Toad Warriors" which is based on Wikipedia:The Road Warrior He is based on an 1980s punk persona.

Koopenstein

Dr. Koopenstein

Dr. Koopenstein is a Frankenstein alter ego of King Koopa in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Koopenstein". He is just basically Koopa wearing a white lab coat building an evil Robot Troopa. He captured the Mario Bros. and scanned their brains. Fortunately and unfortunately, Dr. Koopenstein couldn't use their brains, as even their combined brain power still shows a rating of a dimwit. Koopenstein is then attacked by Toad, and after a tussle between Mario and Co. and Koopenstein and Mouser, Dr. Koopenstein is knocked into his brain scanner and struck by lightning, thus creating the dreaded Koopenstein Monster!

Koopzilla

Koopzilla

Koopzilla is the giant alter ego of King Koopa in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and is based on the famous Japanese monster, Godzilla. He appears in the episode "Mario meets Koopzilla".

King Koopa becomes Koopzilla after eating some of Dr. T Garden's Super Sushi. His attacks are only physical and there are no Troopas in this episode. To try and beat him, Mario, Luigi, the Princess, and Toad caught Koopzilla in a giant steel net, only to be torn apart seconds later. Mario was able to stall Koopzilla by growing as big as him via the power of the Super Sushi. This thin amount of time gave Dr. Garden the opportunity to create the antidote, Super Sushi Shrinker. To Toad, it was the second largest hypodermic needle he's ever seen (the biggest was his last flu shot). They injected the shrinker into Koopzilla's leg, turning Koopzilla back into King Koopa.

He and Karate Koopa are the only alter egos from Sayonara.

Moon Man Koopa

Moon Man Koopa

Moon Man Koopa is a character in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. He is actually another alter ego of King Koopa, complete with a spaceman's helmet. He and Mouser took them and chucked them in Lavere. However, their plans were thwarted by Mario]], Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad as per usual.

Robo Koopa

Robo Koopa

Robo Koopa is an alter ego of King Koopa in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Robo Koopa". The name 'Robo Koopa' is a parody of the 1987 movie, Robo Cop.

Robo Koopa is a powerful robot version of King Koopa and is the last alter ego of King Koopa, as "Robo Koopa" is the last episode before The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3. He is a white and blue robot suit with the combined strength of Koopa to make the ultimate fighting machine. The robot suit itself is equipped with many upgrades and attacks, such as launching Bullet Bills and gaining "Super Toes" which reveals the giant cannons in his feet. Of course, being a guy in a suit had to mean there was an ejector switch, which the Mario Bros., Bunsen, and Dr. Nerdnick tricked Koopa into pressing it and launching straight out of Robo Land's atmosphere.

Relationships with Other Characters

Mario

Bowser and Mario have a long detailed rivarly. As revealed in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Bowser and Mario have been archenemies since they were infants. Bowser always wants to beat Mario and greatly dislikes him mainly for taking Princess Peach away from him. After years of being beaten by Mario, Bowser finally recieves some redemption in Paper Mario as he defeated Mario using the Star Rod. However, Mario soon defeated him once again and Bowser cries out on how many times Mario has defeated him. Bowser also seems to show jealously toward Mario.

Luigi

Unlike with Mario, Bowser doesn't really take Luigi seriously mainly due to Luigi being in his older brother's shadow most of the time. As seen in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Bowser has a hard time calling Luigi by his real name and calls him by several nicknames such as "Green 'Stache", "Greenie", and "Mr. Green Mario Brother Guy". However, at the end of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Bowser finally calls Luigi by his name wanting revenge on both him and Mario.

Princess Peach

The relationship between Bowser and Peach can be easily described as "love/hate". Bowser is madly in love with Princess Peach but she rejects him every time. This leads Bowser to always kidnapping Peach which leads to the infamous running gag of the Mario series. Bowser, even though being evil, doesn't seem to harm Peach on occaisons and would even go out to his way to protect her. Bowser also doesn't tolerate other people kidnapping Princess Peach such as Sir Grodus and Antasma. Bowser even goes out to say that kidnapping Peach is his job.

Wario and Waluigi

The relationship between Bowser and Wario and Waluigi is only shown in Mario Power Tennis and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Bowser can get easily annoyed by the mischievous duo as in Toadstool Tour, Bowser chased them down after they accidently gave him a black eye with a golf ball. Bowser toss bombs down on them and eventually cornered them. However, a golf ball struck by Mario soon hit Wario and Waluigi in the eye and the golf ball hits the Bob-omb in Bowser's hand causing it to explode on them.

Kammy Koopa

In the Paper Mario series, Kammy Koopa acts as the right-hand Koopa to Bowser. Kammy deeply respects (and fears) Bowser and tends to call him by various nicknames rather than by his real name. Bowser, however, tends not to show any recpect back to Kammy as he can get annoyed by her at times. In Paper Mario, Kammy always follows the orders of Bowser and their relationship is strictly business. However, in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, their relationship is more comical as they try to search for Princess Peach and the Crystal Stars. Along the way, Bowser and Kammy Koopa run into various of hinderances. At one point, Bowser even fell into the sea and was forced to swim back to Rogueport. After hearing Kammy had a great time at Glitzville, Bowser burned Kammy. However, despite this, Bowser and Kammy get along well as a team and the two of them are always seen together (except when Bowser made it the first time into Glitzville).

Elite Trio

The Elite Trio (Private Goomp, Sergeant Guy, and Corporal Paraplonk) serves as Bowser's main allies in the games Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. In Bowser's Inside Story, the Elite Trio assisted Bowser in getting a giant Banzai Bill in order to take down Bowser's Castle after Fawful had taken over it. However, in the middle of the game, the Elite Trio push Bowser into a safe and lock him inside defecting to Fawful's side. However, Bowser (with the help of Mario and Luigi) defeated Fawful for good and Bowser allowed the Elite Trio to help in rebuilding his castle. In Dream Team, the Elite Trio play a more serious role as they were used as a trap and faught Mario and Luigi in Dreamy Driftwood Shore. The battle was unique as Mario and Luigi needed to defeat all of the Elite Trio members at once or they will keep healing each other. Later, they also tried to slow down Mario and Luigi as they advanced higher into Neo Bowser Castle. Soon, Bowser was defeated for good and the Elite Trio retreated with their master.

Antasma

At first, Bowser saw Antasma as an annoyance but soon decided to team up with him after the Bat King gave Bowser power. Bowser agreed to help Antasma get the Dream Stone that aided the both of them in the takeover of Pi'illo Island. However, near the end of the game, Bowser betrayed Antasma saying he was only using the Bat King to forward his own needs and takes the Dream Stone all for himself. This makes that Bowser only saw Antasma as a pawn to use in his own evil plans.

Bowser Jr.

Bowser definately shows love for his only son Bowser Jr. The two of them are almost always seen together in games that involved the both of them.

In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser told Bowser Jr. a lie that Princess Peach was his mother and that Mario kidnapped her. This caused Bowser Jr. to overtake an alter ego to frame Mario and take back Peach for himself. However, at the end of the game, Bowser was forced to tell his son that Peach wasn't his mother but Bowser Jr. already knew. However, Bowser Jr. says he wants to fight Mario again when he is bigger much to the delight of Bowser. This is proven true as Bowser Jr. would assist Bowser in fighting Mario in later games such as New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy.

Outside of Mario Media (Cameos)

Wreck-It-Ralph

Bowser at a meeting with other video game villains.

Bowser appears in the Disney Animated film Wreck-It-Ralph as a cameo along with other video game villains in a villains support group, Bad-Anon: One Game at a Time. They make a personal bad guy credo after the seminar is over.

Powers and abilities

Powers

Fire Breath: Bowser's signature ability. Bowser can choose to either breathe a long breath of flame or shoot many fireballs. Bowser is quite advanced in his fire-breathing, he can shoot flames that follow Mario in Super Mario 64 and New Super Mario Bros. and can even breathe fire underwater in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario.

Superhuman Strength: Bowser is shown to possess colossal strength that surpasses those of Wario and Donkey Kong. Several spinoffs depict Bowser as the strongest character.

Superhuman Stamina: Bowser has incredible stamina that is sure never to run out. Therefore, Bowser can maintain physical activity for days if needed to be.

Invulnerability: Bowser possesses a high level of invulnerability. He has fallen into lava, been blown up, etc., but has managed to survive all this many times.

Magic: According to the Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet, Bowser is a skilled user in dark magic.

Electrokinesis: As seen in Hotel Mario and Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser can use magic to summon lightning bolts.

Teleportation: Another magic ability Bowser uses is teleportation, as seen in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy.

Abilities

Master Combatant: Bowser is shown to be a highly trained warrior. He has an extremely aggressive fighting style that employs his fire-breathing, physical strength and claws.

Genius-level Intellect: Bowser has also been shown on many occasions to be highly intelligent. Many of his plans often make use of high-tech equipment and complicated machinery designed and built himself.

Intimidation: With his terrifying appearance and ruthless nature, Bowser instills fear in friend and foe alike, something he no doubt enjoys.

Trivia

Bowser's actual name is King Koopa in the movie, but he's not a koopa then. He's a human.